June 13, 2015

When you combine the internet, television, radio, billboards and direct mail we're exposed to 14,000 advertising messages every day but only 5 of them stick with us for more than 24 hours.

Summer is the season for outdoor activity that brings more pedestrian meanderers, road trips and outdoor events offering some new possibilities for marketing your business. Street side flags, sidewalk signs and promotional canopies are some ideas that may apply to your business.

Here are 6 tips for designing a sign that will be remembered.

1) SIZE & SCALE

The biggest difference in designing a sign is scale. Considering that a brochure is maybe 8 1/2" x 11" and a business card is 3 1/2" x 2", large scale design requires a different mindset when designing it.

Signs have to be read and understood from a distance; often by people who only have a few seconds to look in that direction. Everything should be big and simple for maximum impact.

Billboards can be 14' x 48' so art file resolution is paramount and vector art is required to avoid a blurry image when enlarged.

File Resolution

Graphic Clarity

2) LOCATION

Designing for location can be tricky if a single design is going to be used for different environments. If you design a sign with a sky blue background that will have the sky behind it, it will blend in too much and not get noticed.

A sidewalk sign or street-side flag, however, may have lots of different colors behind it, so a bold solid color may be your best choice to break through the clutter.

Environmental Clutter

Viewing Distance

3) COLOR & GRAPHICS

Generally graphics and color should be bright and saturated. Avoid light colors or pastels and opt for colors that will stand out - especially between your text and background.

For images and graphics, pick a single element and go big with it. Your design has to catch the viewer's attention in a second and a single, simple focal point will help.

Color can be one of the most important decisions you'll make in designing an effective sign.

Go Big and Bold!

Keep it Simple

4) TYPOGRAPHY & MESSAGE

Aside from the company logo, pick a single typeface. A san serif font works best for signs.

And make it big! Think about lettering in terms of 10 to 100, that's 10" tall for every 100' of viewing distance.

Bold lettering can increase the readability from a distance but avoid italics as they confuse the view.

An industry standard is to keep your message at 15 words or less and use the 3 x 5 rule. That's 3 lines of 5 words or 5 lines of 3 words. Less is better if you can make your point.

Simple, Bold Type

Simple, Short Message

5) CONTRAST

While contrast is an important consideration of any design project, it is especially important when you only have a couple of seconds to get someone's attention.

Every focal point must be clearly distinguishable.

With type, size and simplicity as key factors, selecting colors that stand out from one another will help get your message noticed.

While I'm personally not a fan of using borders in design, the use of a border can help to create a contrast between your sign and the background environment. Of course, using a border on a street-side flagwill not make much sense.

Bold Colors Create Contrast

Borders are OK

6) SUBSTRATE

Substrate is the material that your message is being printed on. Knowing the material and method of printing can help in your design process.

Whether it's a vinyl banner, fabric flag or a graphic-wrapped bus, consulting with your manufacturer can help you provide the appropriate art files for best results.

Knowing if your sign will be for indoor or outdoor use can help you select the appropriate substrate to print your message on.

Select Lasting Material

Environmental Exposure

Most designers don't spend their day designing signs. Typically it will be the same person who creates brochures and business cards and only asked to design a large format graphic for special occasions like tradeshows, outdoor events or special promotions.

Reaching out to your manufacturer before you begin designing for large format graphics can help you avoid the headaches that may come after the design is finished.

September 02, 2014

The postcard has evolved into the marketing instrument of choice for many successful B2B & B2C companies. Marketing Postcards provide a method of presenting your company's message quickly and clearly, without asking too much of your prospects' time.

A lot rides on the design of your postcard because you must capture the reader's attention before they discard it (if you will).

For valuable insider tips on getting the most from a postcard

Size Matters

When many think of postcards, they conjure up images of the old-school 4" x 6" ineffective version. Today's postcards come in many sizes that get you noticed in a mail stack of #10 envelopes.

We recommend designing a 6" x 11" postcard with an in-your-face image area to get their attention.

Color Outside the Lines

Always, always, always print your postcard in full color. Wow your prospect with color. Don't stray too far from your brand colors but certainly don't be shy about making them big and bold.

Use color on the entire postcard and beyond. Don't use borders; bleed your colors off the edge of the sheet to create intrigue.

Use full color postcards for maximum impact.

Write it Right

Keep your copy short and to the point.

The reason postcards are so effective is that we've learned to scan subject lines in our email for relevant content. Write your headline copy like you would an email subject line. The advantage postcards have over emails is that you also have graphic images and color to get their attention as well as copy.

Use 2 or 3 word headers, bullet points, and just enough copy to engage your reader. Make them want to look on the other side.

Break the Code

The front of the postcard captures attention, but the back of the card should be designed with the clear response mechanism (or call-to-action) in mind.

Consider how you want people to respond and make it easy for them with a phone number, website, address or map to your location.

QR Codes can be added to the design to allow potential customers to scan the card and give them more detailed information on their mobile device.

Tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do; visit your website, sign up for conference, call for more information, go to your store location on Saturday for the 2 for 1 sale.

The response prompt should be the focus of the back of your postcard.

Postcards can be used for more than just mailing, the offer many benefits:

They make for a great tradeshow booth handout

Fit nicely into a pocket in presentation brochures

Are an effective "leave behind" at sales calls with potential customers

Don't take up much space next to the checkout at your store

Following these design tips will increase the response rate of your postcard.

We've all seen lenticular cards with more than one image that changes as you tip the card back and forth but probably never knew what they were called.

A lenticular postcard is effective in announcing a change in your brand with an image of your old brand changing to the new. This process can also be utilized to create a 3D image on your card to give it some depth.

August 12, 2014

Postcards may be the most cost-effective marketing pieces to manufacture, but making the right choices in paper, ink, coating and size can increase your response rate by leaps and bounds.

Short run capabilities and personalization allow you to speak directly to your audience. Capture your reader's attention using their name in the salutation.

Read on for the 4 most common printing practices to save money on production while increasing your ROI.

1. First Impressions Count - Choose Paper Wisely

Postcards are received without any other type of packaging (envelopes) so the thickness of the paper can add to the perception of your company's image. The post office requires a minimum thickness of .009mil paper but thicker is better to give the feel of stability.

White paper provides for the truest reproduction of color. Printing ink is transparent and it changes when printed on colored paper.

We recommend printing postcards on .014mil, white, glossy paper.

2. Ink Spot Color vs. Process

As we recommended in the previous newsletter article about postcard design, you should always use process color (CMYK) to get noticed.

Colorful reproduction of your graphics and photos gives your postcard the advantage of standing out in a pile of mail. There's nothing junky about a beautifully colored graphic image.

Process color printing allows an endless choice of colors.

3. Protect your investment with Coating

During the sorting process, the postal sorting machines can damage postcards. Adding a coating to your postcard not only reduces the amount of scratching caused by postal delivery, but it makes your ink colors jump off the card making your image POP!

Add an Aqueous or UV Coating to give your postcard a rich finish.

4. Go Big for Maximum Message Space

Postcards come in various sizes but most people think of the little 4" x 6" option of days gone by. Smaller sizes get lost in the mail and lose effectiveness because of the limited image area.

A larger postcard, like the 6" x 11" option, has 132 square inches of image area. Plenty of room to display a compelling image and tell them how to respond.

August 06, 2014

With 98% of us picking up our mail daily, it's no secret why Direct Mail remains a robust and viable marketing tool.

It takes more time for the recipient to physically toss mail in the recycling than it does to hit the delete button in your inbox. This alone provides for a much higher response rate from mail over email.

Viewing email for the last 20 years has changed some of the hard fast rules of Direct Mail. Understand these changes in how people respond to your Direct Mail marketing and tweaking it just a little to support your digital efforts is a winning combination.

Keep these thoughts in mind the next time you embark on a Direct Mail Campaign:

Get to your point...QUICKLY! Like the subject line of an email, make your headings compelling enough to make me want more information. You have about 2 seconds to stop me from setting your piece aside for recycling. Photos and headings are your best bet in stopping me.

OLD RULE: Give them something to do. Make them open an envelope so they are engaged and committed.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT NOW: I don't have time. Unless I am currently doing business with you, I will not open an envelope from you. Postcards allow for a fast assessment of your message by showing a picture without any commitment of my time.

What do you want? Be clear in what you want them to do and make it easy for them to ACT NOW! One of our favorite Markit-in-a-Minute messages is "Don't pretend you're not trying to sell them something, they just might believe you." Of course you want them to buy something: You know it and they know it. Acting otherwise is what gives selling a bad reputation and turns people off on your offer.

OLD RULE: Ask them to fill out a Response Card and mail it back for more information.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT NOW: The biggest change in Direct Mail is all of the multi-channel response options. You can ask now drive them to your website for more information or make that purchase directly from your ecommerce store. You can ask them to engage on your Social pages for a special discount- or Live Chat, Email, Call. Just let them know which way you want them to respond.

How do they want it? You can add a lot of depth of content to your recipients by adding a QR code that will point them to whatever online destination you set up for them. Maybe it's a special for a specific product on your eCommerce site or a registration page developed for an event you want them to attend.

OLD RULE: A Response Card or a Phone call used to be the only options.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT NOW: The QR code can take them directly to your Facebook page or a video tour of the house for sale down the street. A very wise man once told us that "You don't need to have all of the answers, just a good source for them" The QR Code can provide that source with all of the answers without having to find space on your mailer to print them.

Closing thoughts:

Email hasn't taken the punch out of Direct Mail, it's added to the options to create a really effective Direct Mail Campaign.

Email allows for a brief subject line to grab their attention before it's deleted, Direct Mail offers the use of colorful images, compelling headers and the sense of touch to interest your prospect.

Direct Mail is 3 times more likely to result in a sale than a targeted email.

We've experienced a surge in Direct Mail projects from our customers who understand that when they are used with the new rules in mind, they can be a very effective piece in your marketing arsenal.

July 30, 2014

Keeping our technology powered up during the day has become a challenge as our lives become more mobile and disconnected from the nearest outlet. Our biggest surge in sales last year was in ACCESSORIES to our technology that allows us our connected, productive days at work or home.

We tax our devices with our demand on them for remote power and connectivity access. Even at our not-so-mobile desk devices we wish we had just one more USB port to plug into.

Customers are grateful for the gift of power and connectivity, and marking these useful products with your brand will energize your image and create a buzz around their office.

Simple items like USB AC Adapters can save the day in a pinch while Solar Chargers add an extra sense of comfort knowing that power is available when no outlets are near.

Even at the office where power is abundant, you can leave your mark on a USB HUB that will be permanently attached to the laptop your customer stares at all day long.

These powerful accessories can be colorful as well as useful, supporting your brand as a helpful partner in their day.

July 23, 2014

You may never hear anyone say, "words are worth a thousand words" but enough books have been written about Serif and Sans Serif Fonts to fill a library if you're interested. Our intention here, however, is to simplify the discussion about Serif vs. Sans Serif fonts.

Simply put, Serifs are small lines at the beginnings and ends of characters in a font family. Sans Serif fonts do not have those lines (Sans meaning 'without' in French).

Here are some recognizable examples of each -

Serif FontsTimes New RomanCourierGaramond

Sans Serif FontsArielHelveticaTahoma

For years, the standard rules of when to apply Serif vs. Sans Serif fonts have remained the same.

Sans Serif fonts should be used for Titles and Headers

Serif fonts should be used for Text

These rules still apply when designing for PRINT. The Serif leads your eyes to the next letter more naturally and visually allows the reader to read faster and comprehend more of what is written. The Sans Serif, without the lead in to the next letter, slows down the speed that the header is read to make more of a statement.

Computers, on the other hand, have changed those rules. WEBSITE design takes into consideration that your monitor only shows images at about 72ppi so some of the details of a Serif font may be lost. Sans Serif fonts are the preferred choice in website design.

One last consideration when choosing Serif vs. Sans Serif fonts is NEVER use a Serifed font when using white type on a dark background. You'll have to trust us on this. That's a whole other article.

July 09, 2014

To quote our own December 2013 article 'Tips to Writing Direct mail Copy' we said, "If you pretend you're not trying to sell them something, they might believe you".

An immeasurable amount of marketing dollars are wasted because the next step is not clear to the recipient of the direct mail piece. You got them to stop and read it with the captivating images and clever copy but now what?

The purpose of a piece can be lost in the design, so embrace your request and offer clarity.

You want them as customer, so tell them what to do to make that happen.

Come to Your Store

Show them clearly where you store is with a map, a readable address and when they can come (store hours). If they don't understand the WHERE and WHEN, then the WHY doesn't matter.

Visit Your Website

Of course you're going to print a URL on your direct mail piece if you're attempting to drive traffic to your site, but remember, your postcard is NOT "clickable" so you must make the URL as short as possible so it's easy to enter.

In electronic copy, it takes only one click to check out our archive of 168 articles about Design, Print, Promo and Mail. But printed on a postcard, this URL will never be visited because it would require too much effort to key in. Make it easy, shorten your links.

Interact with You on Your Social Sites

Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter appreciate your promotion of their brand, but unless you have a vanity URL (facebook.com/MarkitMotion) for these social sites your customer will not find you by clicking on these logos on your postcard.

Strategic integration of your digital and printed marketing is powerful, but think it through to simplify the user experience.

Everyone embraces clarity but the smallest detail can muddy up your message. First, ask yourself, "what exactly do I want them to do?". Then design your message, including all of the components to make it easy for them to do it.

July 02, 2014

Creative copy and stunning photography utilized to tell your story leaves a (hopefully) lasting perception of your company. The words and images convey throughout both digital and printed communications the same as when they are viewed by your audience.

Sight, however, is only one of our 5 senses, leaving us with other opportunities to convey our brand.Creative copy and stunning photography utilized to tell your story leaves a (hopefully) lasting perception of your company. The words and images convey throughout both digital and printed communications the same as when they are viewed by your audience.

The FINISHES on a Direct Mailer, Brochure or Invitation can send a message to the end user in a more subtle, lasting way.

We're programmed to block out advertising images and words because of the constant bombardment we experience daily. But if you add a soft coating or interesting shape to your message will get in through the sense of 'touch'. And aren't we trying to get our customers to feel something about us in our marketing efforts?

Here are some simple finishes that will add a tactile experience:

Coatings

Some of the most common coatings used to stimulate the reader's senses are Aqueous, Varnish and UV.

Aqueous Coatings are applied in-line on some printing presses, so it's a reasonably priced and very effective option. These finishes can add a gloss, satin or soft touchexperience to your print. It is only available in an overall coat.

Varnishes are applied on the press as well, but printed with a plate like laying down an additional color of ink. These finishes are available in gloss or matte. Varnishes are the least obvious coatings and not recommended for a high sheen.

UV Coating is applied off press as a secondary process. It can be applied as an overall finish or as a spot finish highlighting only chosen parts of the brochure. This process provides the highest contrast of coating and will make the coated images pop off the sheet.

Die Cutting is used to create a shape. A die for the shape is made and each sheet is cut one piece at a time on a separate press after it's printed.

Round Corners, Business Card Slits and Index Tabs are the most common examples of die cutting but you can let your imagination run wild with this one and cut any shape you can think up.

Careful with the mailing pieces though, the post office has very strict rules about die cut mailings.

Folding creates anticipation. The process of unfolding a creatively designed piece is stimulating because the reader anticipates the next step. They are lead to read the next page as it's revealed to them.

Your customer can hear and feel the quality of the paper as they unfold your message. Here are some creative, cool folds that you don't see every day.

Packaging generates excitement. Ever since we were kids, receiving a gift has always been exciting. And opening that package has been a big part of that titillating experience. Presentation is everything.

A catalog sent in a FedEx Mailer is way more fun to receive than someone handing it to you in person. That "ZIP" when the package is opened creates just a little more emotion that adds to the message.

Package your message to create some feeling before they begin reading the message inside.

Envelopes are the most common form of packaging so don't forget their importance. Increase your open rate by adding a message to the outside. Consider paying full first class postage- use a live stamp and hand-write the address. Your Grandma does and you never throw her stuff away.

Chipboard Mailers, like the FedEx Letter mailer mentioned above, can be customized with your message. We guarantee that it will be opened and involves a recognizable sound when it's unzipped.

Boxes of all shapes and sizes can be sent to hold dimensional or heavy pieces like samples, catalogs or promotional products that enhance your message. Boxes offer the most secure delivery of your message without damage.

The next time you put together a marketing campaign, consider the other 4 senses that are available to tell your story. And yes, you can add candy hearts to your box with your logo on them to involve taste too.